He’s a Canberra man with a big heart who looks after some of the Canberra Raiders finest young players.
Phil Charlie plays an important role for the Raiders away from the field, looking after two of the Canberra Raiders Jersey Flegg players in Charlie Rourke and Kyle Patterson.
Phil is quite new to the Raiders family having previously acted as a guardian for players in the FFA’s centre of excellence based at the AIS.
“I was looking after some of the elite young players for the FFA that were based at the AIS, some of whom are now going on to have success in the A-League,” Charlie said.
“I really enjoyed caring for the players in that time and when the FFA decided to close down the program I felt that I wasn’t ready to stop looking after young athletes just yet.”
“I was told that the Raiders were looking for carers so I got in touch with their welfare team and they came out to meet with me and have a friendly chat. Not long after that they contacted me and told me I had been allocated two boys (Charlie and Kyle) and here we are today.”
“It’s great having the two boys around the house, they have their own personal space and they’re quite independent for their young age. We take turns in cooking meals for the week and they have fitted in really well here.”
“I’m looking forward to watching a few of their games this year and cheering on the Raiders.”
If you are interested in becoming a homestay guardian please contact David Thom at dthom@raiders.com.au
